


La Mia Cosa Preferita

by awayfromsight



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Electric Couple Prompts, F/M, Florence - Freeform, Fluff prompt, Glorified Game of 20 Questions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 19:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13666209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awayfromsight/pseuds/awayfromsight
Summary: “Seriously? You’d miss work to find out what my favorite color is?“





	La Mia Cosa Preferita

The sun rose slowly that morning, it’s first rays creeping through the ancient streets of Florence, making their way into living rooms and kitchens and bedrooms, rousing the people inside, calling for espressos and morning papers.  
Hannibal was usually amongst those rising with the sun, had always done so back in Baltimore as the first step of his immaculate routine, the stitching that held his person suit intact and in place. Recently however, the suit had been stripped away, the seams frayed and torn, buttons missing all over as the mess of it all lay in a heap at his feet. Or rather, their feet.  
Hannibal found that he had done very little of the stripping himself, both literally and metaphorically. A thought that made him smile against the top of the blonde head that was currently resting on his chest, arms thrown across him like she was holding on to a pillow. Bedelia had always been relentlessly curious in her nature, wanting to see the inside workings of whatever she could get her hands on and he considered himself fortunate enough that she currently had her hands on him, buried under expensive Italian sheets in their apartment overlooking the city. 

“What are you smiling about?“, her voice sounded muffled against his skin and heavy with sleep. She had never been a morning person.

“Nothing, just… I like having you here. Being with you, here in Florence. I’m glad you came. It’s one of my favorite cities.“ 

She tilted her head to look at him, studying him up close. The city below them had started to move, sounds of people and bicycle’s echoing through the alleys, announcing the start of a new day.

“You have a favorite city? I didn’t know that about you.“

“I’m surprised there are things you still don’t know about me, cara mia. I thought I was the only one in the dark,“ he sounded amused, wrapping a few strands of her hair around his fingers. 

“In the dark? What do you mean?“ Wrapping the sheet around herself, Bedelia sat up to face him, searching his face for a giveaway, any hint about his thoughts.  
“I mean,“ he said, mirroring her and leaning up against the headboard of the bed,“ that while you, in your role as my former psychiatrist, know far more about me than I do about you. Your favorite color, your favorite book or subject in school. Our conversations always center around me and I’d like to change that. What are your favorite things, Bedelia?“

“You mean besides raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens?“ The teasing tone of her voice matched the slight smirk on her lips, reaching forward to brush her finger along his cheekbone. He caught her wrist in his grip, kissing every one of her fingers before interlacing them with his. 

“I’m serious, Bedelia. For example, what is your favorite food?“ 

While the smile on her face remained, the woman across from him raised an eyebrow.  
“You really want to know?“

Hannibal nodded, his eyes shining bright with the curiosity that was usually reserved for her. 

Her chest raised with a sigh, and she looked from his face towards their hands and out the window, contemplating her answer.

“There’s this little place just a few blocks down from the East Baltimore Campus, called Pâtisserie Poupon that makes the most amazing Dacquoise I’ve ever had. I discovered it while I was still in college and have been going back more times than I’d care to admit.“ Smiling fondly at the memory, she caught his gaze again. 

“A sweet tooth, I should have known. Your favorite season?“

“Fall or Winter.“

“Favorite Instrument?“

“The piano. Hence why I like to watch you play.“  
“Any hobbies as a child?“ 

“I danced ballet because I had to, I rode horses because I wanted to and I painted because it looked good on a resumé. 

“Have you always been this focused on your career?“

“I think so, yes. My sister was more… centered around finding a husband. I never saw that for me. Which is ironic, given my current situation.“ She glanced at their wedding rings, clinking against each other and glimmering in the softened sunlight. 

“A lucky turn of events, I’d say. Your favorite book or movie?“ 

“I feel like we’re playing twenty questions, Hannibal,“ she said with a laugh, stroking the back of his thumb with hers. “That’s a tough question. I loved the biographies about Catherine the Great or Eleanor Roosevelt. I haven’t actually had time to finish a book in a long time,“ at that, she gave him another teasing look, half heartedly blaming him and their time consuming activities,“I think the last one was Love Letters Of Great Men. My favorite movie… It Happened One Night. Don’t laugh!“ Bedelia hit his chest with the back of her hand when he began to chuckle.

“Are you telling me that you’re secretly a romantic, Dr. Du Maurier? I find that hard to believe.“

“Hard to believe? Why?“ She shot him a quizzical look, assessing their current situation. The light, that was now streaming through the curtains of their bedroom, bathing the entire room in a golden glow, two wineglasses, stained red on his nightstand and the clothes they wore last night were strewn across the room, having been ripped off in frenzy and passion. 

“You don’t strike me as the type of woman waiting to be swept off her feet with candles and roses.“ 

“Maybe I’m just good at hiding it?“ 

Bedelia untangled her fingers from his, pushing her hair out of her eyes and looked at the clock beside the bed.

“It’s almost 7, you should probably get ready. I don’t think I’ll stay popular if I keep my husband from his work.“ 

“I don’t think I can abandon my questioning just yet, so I might call in sick. If that’s alright with you, of course?“ 

Bedelia, who had already gotten out of bed, still wrapped in the sheet and was on her way to the en suite bathroom, stopped in her tracks and turned back to her former patient.  
“Seriously? You’d miss work to find out what my favorite color is?“

“I’m romantic like that.“ He smirked, causing her to pick up his dress shirt off the floor and toss it at his face. 

While she was getting ready, Hannibal decided to prepare breakfast. She found him flipping an omelet on the stove, clad in only his pajama pants, nursing a cup of coffee. She was still toweling her hair dry, reaching toward the French press when his hand on top of hers stopped her. 

“On the counter. Almond milk, no sugar.“

“See, you do know some things about me,“ she quipped, pressing a kiss to his cheek in gratitude.

Taking a seat at the counter, she took her time to admire him cook. The muscles in his arms and back flexing while he worked, the skill and precision of a perfectionist showing in his every move.  
“You’re staring, Doctor.“ 

“Are you complaining?,“ she gave him another smile, her chin propped up on her hand,“you can count it as one of my favorite things.“

He flipped her omelet onto a plate, and set it in front of her, pausing to kiss her for a moment or two longer than strictly necessary. 

“You didn’t tell me what your favorite color was, by the way.“

“Focus on your omelet, Hannibal.“

“Is it red?“ The smirk was back, even though he did as he was told.

The lively sound of markets and tourists in the city outside poured in through the balcony doors, an orchestra to his performance like he was back in Baltimore, putting on a show for his guests instead of just her, though he would probably disagree with her phrasing. She could practically hear him humming against her skin, “Never just you, Tesoro.“

“That’s your favorite color on me,“ the last mouthful of the omelet disappeared behind her lips and she pushed her plate to the side, making room for him to sit down next to her. 

“Second favorite.“ He reached up to pull the sleeve of her nightgown off her shoulder, pressing kisses all the way up to her ear. 

She tried her best not to get distracted, to not grab him and pull him closer.

“It’s blue,“ she said, trying to keep control of her breathing and tilting her head to the side to look at his face,“and your breakfast is going to go cold if you keep this up.“ 

Hannibal sighed a little disappointed, but relented, sitting back up to eat.  
“Do you have any more questions?“

He took a moment to think, sweeping his gaze up and down her body.  
“Your favorite moment of us.“

She raised her eyebrow for the second time that morning, smiling. “Us?“ 

“Yes. You and me. We’ve known each other for years now, surely there most be a favorite moment. I have one.“

“Oh? Do tell.“ Bedelia turned in her chair, brushing her knees against his legs. 

He took time to finish his plate, and faced her, framing her legs with his. “Do you remember the first time we woke up together? You finally agreed to come to a dinner party and had too much wine, so you ended up staying the night.“ He looked so fond at the memory. She had finally let him talk her into attending one of his gatherings, having promised he would not introduce her as anything but his colleague. The pretense had lasted until dessert, when the wine had taken it’s full effect, prompting him to reach for her hand absentmindedly during a conversation, holding on to her between glasses and empty plates. Alana Bloom had made a surprisingly quick exit that night, if she remembered correctly.

“How far we’ve come.“ Bedelia leant forward, kissing him slowly. She felt his lips curve against hers in a smile, cherishing the moment. Breaking apart, she pretended to think about her answer, feeling the need to tease him further.

“I think the night we arrived in Florence. I felt so uncertain of what would happen here, how our arrangement would change and then you insisted on carrying me over the threshold, showing me the view from the balconies… And that uncertainty vanished.“ 

“And we got to christen every room in the apartment,“ Hannibal replied, the grin on his face rivaling the Cheshire Cat’s in every aspect.

“Do you ever take your mind out of the bedroom?“ She rolled her eyes in faux annoyance, sliding off her chair to finish getting ready, throwing him a last look over her shoulder.

They spent the entire day lounging around the apartment, throwing questions back and forth. Her guilty pleasure? “Chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.“ His favorite dish to cook? “Bœuf Bourguignon, as boring as that sounds.“ The last time she sang? “Never. Nice try.“ Sitting across from each other in the armchairs in the living room, neither was willing to back down and as the sun began to set, they slowly abandoned the shallow waters of childhood heroes and first dream jobs and ventured into territories previously untouched. 

“Your first broken heart?“ He was teasing her again, hoping to hear of a teenaged Bedelia, weeping into her pillows over a high school senior abandoning her at her prom. 

“I think we’ve established that I was too focused on my career to waste my time on things like that. Have you ever cheated on someone?“

“Despite my reputation,“ he shook his head, as if to express how ridiculous the rumors about him had been while he had been a teacher at Hopkins,“ No. So you do not have to worry.“ 

They so rarely verbally acknowledged their commitment to each other, it felt odd that they did so out loud in an extravagant game of Never Have I Ever. 

“Have you even been disappointed by your parents?“ He regarded her carefully, hoping she wouldn’t retreat and end their conversation prematurely. 

Bedelia’s gaze turned out the window, contemplating whether she should put a stop on this game. They had been playing all day and the topic of her family had thankfully remained untouched thus far but there was one more question she had to ask him.

“One would assume that my parents made most of their money because they patented disappointment,“ she sounded more bitter than she had intended. Her instincts told her to leave, before he had the chance to pry further but if her months and years with Hannibal had taught her anything, it was that he seldom gave up before he attained his goal. She rose from her seat across from him, walking over and perched herself on the armrest of his chair, immediately feeling his hand encircling her waist. Their eyes met, illuminated in gold just like they had been that morning, when the game had started. 

“Have you ever been in love?“ 

Hannibal didn’t reply immediately, instead pulling her into his lap. He looked at her face, taking in every angle and every freckle brought forth by the sun, the color of her eyes, reflecting the light pouring in from outside and the gentle curve of her lips as she waited ever so patiently for him to sate her curiosity once more. 

“Yes. I have…I am.“

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the "Fluff" Electric Couple Prompt.
> 
> \- The Title is Italian for "My Favourite Things"  
> \- "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" is a line from the Sound of Music  
> \- The Patisserie Poupon actually exists and is indeed very close to the Medical Campus of John Hopkins  
> \- Dacquoise is a french cake, made with almond or hazelnut meringue and buttercream and it's actually on their menue.  
> \- Thanks to kmo and NotPersephone for inspiration on a couple of Bedelia's favorite things! xxx


End file.
